Aerial toy

ABSTRACT

THE DISCLOSURE IS OF A HOLLOW UNITARY BODY, WHICH HAS A SERIES OF AIRFOILS JOINED TOGETHER AND EXTENDING FROM THEIR CENTER TO FORM A UNITARY COMPOSITE AIRFOIL. EACH OF THE AIRFOILS HAVE A NEGATIVE DIHEDRAL DESIGN AND ARE WEIGHTED AT THEIR PERIPHERICAL TIPS. IN PROFILE, THE COMPOSITE AIRFOIL IS SHOWN AS HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT BOTTOM.

Oct. 19,1971 R. A. EVERETT 3,613,295

AERIAL TOY Filed D60. 12, 1969 PoAert A. Everctt INVENTOR.

United States Patent Otfice Patented Oct. 19, 1971 3,613,295 AERIAL TOYRobert A. Everett, 704 S. 142ml East Ave., Tulsa, Okla. 74108 Filed Dec.12, 1969, Ser. No. 884,556 Int. Cl. A6311 27/00 U.S. CI. 46-74 3 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The disclosure is of a hollow unitary body,which has a series of airfoils joined together and extending from theircenter to form a unitary composite airfoil. Each of the airfoils have anegative dihedral design and are weighted at their peripherical tips. Inprofile, the composite airfoil is shown as having a substantially fiatbottom.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention This inventionrelates to an educational and amusement device, which also has utilityin aircraft design and military missiles.

More specifically, to a unitary body with an airfoil configuration; withextended negative dihedral airfoils, which is adapted for launching intoflight and thereby sustaining flight by its aerodynamic and gyroscopicembodiment of the invention, when force and spin is im parted to saiddevice simultaneously. By negative dihedral, I mean to define an airfoilwith a downward inclination. This term and definition is found in atleast NASA Aeronautical Dictionary by Frank Davis Adams 1959 page 117.

(2) Description of prior art These extended negative dihedral airfoilsare not shrouded or connected at their outer perimeter as found in theprior art. A connecting ring or shroud of the the prior art producesdrag, but does add strength. My invention avoids this drag, and strengthis gained by the cantilever construction, thereby enabling the extendednegative dihedral airfoils to generate their full lift capabilities.

The extended negative dihedral airfoils themselves embody an airfoilwith its own lift characteristics, which other prior art omit.

These extended negative dihedral airfoils contain weight at their verytips and with which a centrifugal force is created, which givesstability and sustains the device in flight. This polar moment ofinertia force, creates its own gyroscopic characteristics.

The hollow body has a bottom which is substantially flat and addsrigidity, stability and eliminates much of the drag that would becreated in this area; and so, it allows for a smooth flow of air, butmost prior art do not contain a bottom to their inventions.

The prior art have airfoils with positive dihedral and with pitch totheir airfoils, but none contain or describe airfoils having negativedihedral.

The prior art also show that their airfoils, pitched and positivedihedral design radiate from a body; whereas my invention the radiatingairfoils make up a composite airfoil.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A principal object of this hollow unitary typeinven tion, is that it combines gyroscopic and aerodynamic principlessimultaneously, in a single unit.

Another object is that the extended negative dihedral airfoils add theirlifting qualities whenthe device is put into a spinning motion with theairfoils facing into the direction of the spin.

It is another object that the unitary hollow body, which is itself acomposite of airfoils and is itself a configuration of an airfoil andcreates its own lift characteristics.

A further object of the invention is the weighted tips of the extendednegative dihedral airfoils; when put into flight with a spin, thecentrifugal force gives the device stability and sustains the spin andflight.

A still further object is that the bottom of the device is substantiallyfiat, which allows for a smooth flow of ai and completes theconfiguration of a hollow body and also gives it buoyancy should it landon Water.

More particularly it is an object, to provide a device which can belaunched on a desired flight path with an easy throwing motion, thismotion being such that a person, after very little practice, can launchthe device into flight by holding one of the extended airfoils andthrowing said device into the air with a side arm throwing motion, whichwhen released will automatically impart a spinning motion and liftforce.

Yet a further object is to so arrange the device as it travels into theair, it will create gyroscopic and aerodynamic forces simultaneously,which forces coact upon the device in a manner that will create variableflight and hovering paths, due to angle attack, wind velocity, weightdistribution, size and shape of the extended airfoils.

Another object is that the weighted tips of the extended airfoils willproduce centrifugal force in a segmented or surging manner, so much sothat it will produce a snap roll in the first, approximately,seventy-five feet of flight.

It is still a further object to provide a device in which the componentparts are such that the device is easily and economically manufacturedand which is of such rugged construction as to withstand rough andfrequent usage and is constructed of a top and bottom which are sealedat their perimeters.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a unitary bodyembodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the body of FIG. 1.

'FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the accompanyingdrawings, there is shown a hollow body 15, made in two parts 10 and 13.This body 15 embodies a plurality of radially extended negative dihedralairfoils 11 extending at equal angular intervals, radiating from acommon center.

To describe the airfoils 11 more particularly, each airfoil 11 having adecided negative dihedral design with a leading edge 12 that must faceinto the direction of the spin in order to produce its optimum liftcharacteristics. These extended negative dihedral airfoils when spinningcreate a hovering type of aerodynamic force.

Located at the very outer tips of each airfoil 11 are solid or weightedportions 14. These weighted tips 14 create a centrifugal force by thespin imparted automatically when the device is thrown into the air.These weighted tips add stability and sustains the spinning action.

The bottom 13 is substantially flat and sealed to the top section 10 atthe edge of their perimeters, forming a unitary hollow and buoyant body15. This body 15 as shown in the elevation view in FIG. 2, the radiallyextended negative dihedral airfoils 11 seen as comprising one largeconfiguration of an airfoil 15 FIG. 2, which creates its own aerodynamiclift characteristics when in flight.

The radial extended airfoils 11 make a very convenient structure tograsp by hand when throwing "said device into the air. In fact, it ishighly suited for a hand hold and allows for a sure and positive grip.The body 15 is held approximately parallel to the ground and, in a sidearm motion, it is thrown into the air at a slightly inclined angle andpreferably into the wind. When released, an automatic snap to the wristimparts the spin action and forward flying motion. The more force andspin imparted to the device, the more likely of longer flight, dependingon the angle of attack, wind velocity, weight distribution etc. It willtake off in a gradual upward and forward manner. In approximately thefirst seventy-five feet of flight, the device, which contains most ofthe surging spin and force in this distance; the coaction of aerodynamicand gyoscopic forces will create so much lifting force in this space ofthe flight that the lift forces become unbal anced and the device willmake a snap roll and then level out into a normal flight path. Thisnormal flight path may be one in which it reaches a point where it willhover until the spinning and lift forces are lost; the device will thenbreak downward to the left or right or back down to the approximatepoint of launch. If thrown at an oblique angle to the wind, it will dothe same as before mentioned; but it will not hover, but will continueon an extended flight path.

The precise manner in which the air velocity, gravity, aerodynamic andgyroscopic forces coact on the invention is rather complex. However, itcan be theorized, with some justifieation, that some aspects of theinteraction may be explained in the following manner. When the devicebegins its initial trajectory in a horizontal plane, the forces impartedto it, creates lift by the very fact of its overall shape FIG. 2. And asthe thrower releases the device it automatically is given a spin, whichsets up another lifting force; which is the lift produced by thespinning extended airfoils 11. This spinning action also brings in agyroscopic action, that produces stability and sustains this spinningaction that, in turn sustains the lift action of the extended airfoils11.

So, it can be said or assumed that the more force and spin produced by athrowing motion, including the wrist action at the release point, willproduce the best flight. The wrist snap upon release is similar to aball player throwing a ball and automatically snapping the wrist andimparting spin to the thrown ball. Any man or boy having ambitions inthe sports world that involves throwing a ball of some kind, knows theadvantage of developing the wrist, forearm and shoulder. This is theexact area of the body that this device uses, in unlimited quantities.

The bottom 13 of the invention, being substantially flat eliminates muchof the drag in this area, and adds to the stability and rigidity andgives the device buoyancy. So with a hollow buoyant body it lends itselfto its use over Water, which is a very ideal area. Flying space may behard to come by, but any body of water is made to order, plus the addedfeature of the good air currents found there.

It is to be understood, of course, that the precise manner of theinteraction of the various forces involved will vary,

depending on the wind velocity, locomotion force used and the amount offorce imparted to the device etc. Also slight changes in such things asthe relative weight distribution etc., can be utilized to vary theflight characteristics, without departing from the teachings of theinvention. Thus any discussion of the interaction must of necessity, bereplete with generalities.

This unitary type invention has embodied in it several principles thatcoact and produce flight and hovering characteristics, and as applied toaircraft with the use of power means, will produce a flying saucer typeaircraft or space craft.

This invention can be applied to military arms, such as a hand grenade;a grenade embodying this invention will greatly add to the range of thegrenade, when thrown.

The toy aspect of this invention is that it can be put into flight bythrowing, mechanical means, or by use of power at the tip ends of theextended airfoils, such as jet power of some means at jet openingsfacing away from the direction of its rotation.

This device readily lends itself to be molded from plastic, metal, heavyply card stock or other suitable material.

It is thought that the invention will have been clearly understood fromthe foregoing detailed description of the illustrated preferredembodiment. Minor changes will suggest themselves and may be resortedto, without departing from the spirit'of the invention and particularlythat the figure may assume a variety of forms other than that shown.Wherefore it is my intention that no limitations be implied and that thehereto annexed claims be given a scope fully commensurate with thebroadest interpretation to which the employed language admits.

The invention I have described and what is claimed is:

1. An aerial toy comprising a unitary body having an upper and lowersurface, said upper surface comprising a plurality of radially extendingand downwardly inclined dihedral airfoils, said airfoils extending atequal angular intervals and radiating from the center of said uppersurface, said lower surface being substantially flat and sealed to theupper surface at the perimeter of the body joining said airfoils andsaid lower surface.

2. The body of claim 1, including Weights mounted at the outer edge ofat least one of said airfoils.

3. The body of claim 1, in which the leading edges of the radiatingairfoils face in the direction of the spin imparted to the body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1953 Garbo 273l06 5/1958 Dame4676 US. Cl. X.R. 273l06B

